Did We Need a Trump Presidency to Wake up and Smell the Lack of Women’s Rights?

Me and my friend, Adriana Lovera, at the #nycwomensmarch

#whyimarch: Over the days leading up to the Women's March, I spoke to various women on their varying perspectives of The Women's March. The responses I received included, "I hate Trump" "For women's rights" "Isn’t this an Anti-Trump March?" to "I'm not going - I don't believe in this march. Half of these women protesting voted for Trump."

That's what I was afraid of. What could have been solely a civil rights march to send a strong and clear message to the new administration about women's rights, had now become a political march. My intention in going for this march was not to protest the new President. I want to protest for rights that women are entitled to. I march for free healthcare, equal pay, Medicaid-funded abortions (even though I don't personally believe in abortions), paid family leave, immigration reform, LGBTQ rights, climate change and ending mass incarceration. 

Marcher holding a sign with the hashtag 'Not my president'

At the Women’s March itself, I felt uncomfortable as people chanted along hate slogans towards President Trump. I was disappointed that the organizers of this march had not fostered a more positive environment of change. I would have appreciated more support from the organizers on what to say and how to say it in order to create a more direct impact. For the folks who wanted to vent about President Trump, they had the chance to do so at the protests soon after the election or on the eve of his inauguration. I was disappointed because I wanted the Trump Administration and other Republicans to take the Women’s March seriously. We are essentially asking for their support of women’s human rights. How can we get them to listen if half the signs and chants revolved around “Hey-Hey, Ho-Ho, Donald Trump has got to go” or “Tiny hands and tiny feet, all you do is tweet tweet tweet.” Apparently when “They go low, we go even lower.” I felt these hate catchphrases towards President Trump was why the protest lost support from many women who sincerely believe in women’s rights and would otherwise have joined in.

While I understand that the President's cabinet choice reeks of people who do not agree with most or all of these rights, let’s pause to ponder. The American woman didn't have access to equal pay or paid family leave even during the Obama Administration. Why didn't we protest then too? Because President Obama agreed and aligned with those rights? But in the face of the new Administration that is blatantly denouncing these rights, we were given a wake-up call about how unjust it is that women get paid less than men, among other issues.

Marcher in NY

As an advocate for social justice and social change, I had a hard time grappling with what the march really meant. Even with the release of the "Unapologetically Progressive Platform" by the Women's March organizers there were differing viewpoints to #whywemarch. I spoke to my sister-in-law, a staunch advocate of women's rights, to process all the messages including the inauguration speech of the new President. And she made a valid point; she said, "It’s crazy to even think this but maybe Trump's presidency caused us to demand for a message with more conviction about women's rights which a Hillary Administration might not have."

Because the former presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, voiced those very rights in her campaign, we would have been complacent in the pace of progress that would have taken place. Again, think about it. If Mrs. Clinton became president, would we be urgently marching for women's rights with such an unapologetically progressive platform - which includes not only supporting access to safe and legal abortions but demanding the right to publicly funded abortions?

As a social worker working within the criminal justice system, I am only too familiar with the systemic issues of mass incarceration, poverty, homelessness, access to healthcare and welfare programs - issues which needed urgent reform even under the Obama Administration.

And so I wish this March came sooner and that we didn't need to wait for the election of a Trump Administration to wake up and fiercely advocate.

My favorite!

As for myself, I march for all women of this country to demand what we have been deprived of - inherent human rights.